1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data processing apparatuses and, more specifically, to a data processing apparatus having a fingerprint verification function.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known, portable audio recording and playback apparatuses (hereinafter referred to as “IC recorders”) have been widely put in practical use since the late 1990s. Such an IC recorder converts an audio signal obtained from a speaking person into digital data, stores the digital data in a flash memory serving as a rewritable storage medium, and converts the audio data stored therein into an analog signal for playback. In addition, recently, image-capture-capable IC recorders (i.e., IC recorders with image-capture functions), which can record image data simultaneously with recording of audio, have also been commercially available.
The IC recorders feature the capability of selectively operating operation modes, such as recording, playback, fast-forward, fast-backward, and image-capture, through the operation of predetermined operation switches. For example, when the recording-operation mode is selected, audio data converted into a digital signal and index information (including an address for the audio data, recording date and time, and so on) are stored in an audio-data area and an index-information area which are provided in the flash memory in advance.
File numbers and folder marks are assigned to audio data or image data stored in the flash memory. After recording sound or capturing an image, such file numbers and folder marks facilitate the operator to search for or playback an audio data file or an image data file (which are hereinafter referred to as an “audio file” and an “image file”, respectively). As the folders, typically, a plurality of folders, for example, folder A, folder B, and folder C, are provided in order to efficiently classify and manage the files, the number of which continues to increase every time sound is recorded or an image is captured. Further, in order to facilitate the operator to recognize a folder being selected, the IC recorder is devised to pop up a mark indicating the folder on a display device, such as the LCD (liquid crystal display) of the main unit.
When multiple operators share one IC recorder, for example, due to confusion of file numbers, the current operator could mistakenly access an audio file or image file of a third person and could inadvertently playback or erase the file of the third person.
Accordingly, an IC recorder is known which is designed to have a security system to prevent, for example, a third party other than the owner of the IC recorder from operating it unless he/she enters his/her verification number (sign), such as an ID code. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-352998 proposes a technology for disabling an operator's playback operation or erase operation of each file unless a fingerprint associated with an ID number registered in the IC recorder matches a fingerprint of the operator.